Troublesome- Darkest Powers Chronicles
by Eletha Landon
Summary: A Birthday One-Shot for xSweetEternityx! Derek has his troubles. No big surprise, people are getting on his nerves. Only, it's very different now that he's old enough to fit his body- and, boy, do women know it- and his daughter's old enough to no longer think that boys have cooties. Thank goodness he's got Chloe around to come to his rescue. Rated T. Read and review!


**Author's Note- So this is this year's birthday One-Shot for my dearest pal, Sweets (xSweetEternitx)! I try to do these every year for her, because she's so awesome, and I'm so glad that we've become such good friends over the last few years. But also, unfortunately, her birthday gift is going to be late coming, so I wrote this little comical bit to hold her over- or even just in case she hates her present :p- and I hope you guys all enjoy it too.**

**This is placed about 10 years after Something to Envy- which was the One-Shot I wrote her last year.**

**Happy 22****nd**** birthday, Sweets! I hope you have a beautiful day and eat lots of cake! **

**Enjoy!**

**Troublesome**

I couldn't tell what was worse. The group of thirteen-year-old boys hovering around my daughter, or the swarm of middle-aged, soccer moms circling me. My fists clenched against my biceps as I grew more impatient and uncomfortable by the second. Another boy high fived Jenni; my knuckles turned white. Another woman passed in front of me, tossing me a luring smile from beneath mascara caked lashes; my nails bit deeper into my palms. I was tempted to march across the middle school football field and grab Jenni, toss the little slim balls a murderous scowl, and throw the women in the bleachers the finger before leaving the school and dragging my daughter with me.

But a nagging voice in the back of my head- that suspiciously sounded fairly similar to that of my wife- warned me against such a brilliant idea.

I hated coming to Jenni's track and field meets. It's not that I wasn't supportive and proud of my daughter as she quickly escalated up the athletic ladder the older she grew. I actually really enjoyed watching her compete. She always seemed to have a spark in her eye when she ran her races or participated in her hurdles and other jumping events. I knew too well that look as she ran, assuming I had the same joyous look while I was on a run, hunting with the Pack, or goofing around with Chloe in the forest.

However, it was very difficult to focus on the good this was doing for Jenni when boys continuously flocked her after winning an event, 'congratulating' her, while the boys' mothers 'congratulated' me.

Speaking of which…

"Wow, another win for Jenni," A sultry voice said from beside me. "You must be so proud, Derek."

I didn't have to look to know that it was Mrs. Pillsbury standing beside me as I lounged near the stands. She had to be the most persistent of all the other single mothers sitting on the sidelines, never willing to just take my silence or non-committal grunts as a hint that I wasn't interested. She knew I was married. They all did. I didn't always come to Jenni's meets alone. But that never seemed to stop certain advances. Well, not when there was a day where Chloe couldn't make it.

When Chloe was there, cheering for Jenni at my side, it was like a shield. She would role her eyes and hold my hand when I urged her to do so in order to keep the vultures at bay. But, I think that, deep down, Chloe enjoyed it just a little. I think there were some days where she sadistically thrived on the glares being thrown her way. When I asked her about it she said, _'Oh please, Derek. What woman isn't just a little possessive?'_

"So where is _Mrs._ Souza today?" Mrs. Pillsbury asked, tone feigning curiosity. "I know it's not quite my business, but it seemed as If you two were put off by each other at the last meet. Is everything okay?"

_You're right, it's none of your business. _

God only knows how much I wish I could say that to this woman's face. But Simon, Dad, Chloe and even Lauren had this thing about me 'playing nice' no matter how much I disliked someone. I didn't care what anyone else thought of me. If they thought I was an ass, that was their problem. But I wasn't just acting on my behalf anymore. I had to 'play nice' because Chloe and Jenni were nice and it wasn't fair for their image to be blotched by their rude husband and father.

So I just acted like less of an ass than usual.

"We're fine."

Chloe and I had bickered. There was a difference between our bickering and our fighting that, clearly, the public didn't know about. The last time Chloe and I had truly fought had been over six years ago. It was so bad that we had been separated for nearly two months and had scared Jenni into thinking her parents were going to get a divorce. At the mention of the idea, I thought it absurd. I even laughed and asked Jenni if she truly thought that her mother and I would ever… and I realized in that moment how stupid and petty Chloe and I had been.

Now, the thought of Chloe and I having an argument_ that_ bad was almost laughable. We were stronger than ever and the fact that half these women in the bleachers thought a stupid little disagreement was going to cause a rift between us was just pathetic.

I never once envied Simon for this particular type of attention he's received since we were kids. Girls fawned over him, and now, women still became putty at his feet just by him giving them a friendly smile. Like me, it didn't matter that he was married and had a five-year-old son. Woman still contested for his attention.

Growing up being Simon's big, scary, unappealing brother had never really bothered me. What bothered me now was that, apparently, I grew out of that 'unappealing' phase and was basically seen as- as Tori so lovingly put it- the dude they oiled up to be on the cover of some romance novel. She said it was Karma. For being such a dick all the time. Simon kind of agreed, mostly because he found it hilarious, but also because, back when girls had approached me to get to him, I blew them off or ignored them. Now they were coming at me tenfold, vying for my attention as much as Simon's.

I didn't believe in that faith and universal 'just desserts' concept. I blamed it on the damned werewolf. It was a simple science. Women never really got over that whole 'Twilight' thing from a couple decades ago. They sensed something about me that was dangerous, as humans normally do around werewolves that they can't quite explain. When I was a kid, they just pegged me as a troublesome adolescent or a hoodlum. Now, though, it excited them.

"Oh? Sure doesn't sound fine to me."

It excited Mrs. Pillsbury, that's for sure. And another thing that aggravated me about these women; they always seemed to read my tone and body language as if I were unhappy with my marriage. It's like they emotionally repelled the idea that I was annoyed and uncomfortable with their advances. So I cast my gaze on Mrs. Pillsbury, taking in the sight of a woman a couple years older than Chloe and a few inches taller too. She had blonde hair that I could still smell the bleach products from, and shadowed brown eyes. Her clothing suggested a class higher than middle, though she was merely a POC at the Macy's in Syracuse. Must be her employee's discount, though I doubted her insurance covered her breast enhancement.

Yeah, I was being a judgmental douchebag. But, really, the woman was giving me no choice. I looked her right in the eye and repeated my previous statement.

"We're fine."

I gave her a look that would make most women nervous. One that had thirteen-year-old boys- like the one currently chatting up my daughter- running for their mommies. A look that men hesitated with an advance that told them their 'manliness' was being tested and they should teach me a lesson for belittling them.

And yet, Mrs. Pillsbury's lips tugged up into a smirk. Christ, what did I have to do to get her to back off?

"You know," She said lowly, taking a step closer to me. I stood my ground, now putting some of the wolf into the look. _Fucking hell, not even a flinch! _"With all the competitors and coaches out here, I bet the locker rooms are empty…"

I had to give her some credit. No other woman had outright suggested or offered me sex before. I almost wondered if she had a death wish or was going through some sort of internal crisis and was desperately throwing caution to the wind in order to be spontaneous and take risks. That's a thing, right?

"I'm married." I grunted, as if she didn't already know. She did, obviously, as she had just asked about my marriage's stability only a minute ago. To my surprise, she laughed.

"So am I. But marriage is merely a speedbump, Derek. Not a stop sign."

She took another step closer, her hand raising, fingers centimeters from my forearm. I felt a defensive growl bubble up from my chest and I was about two second from flashing teeth-

"Hello, Mrs. Pillsbury."

Said woman jumped, but I instantly melted into a puddle of relief. When Mrs. Pillsbury turned to her addresser, there stood Chloe.

_Oh thank God!_

Her blue eyes were alight with amusement and even a hint of mirth as she greeted Mrs. Pillsbury with a warm and friendly smile. If it had been Simon's wife entering upon this scenario, she would have thrown herself on her husband, marking her territory. But Chloe had a certain prowess to her. She knew she was my mate and that there was physically no possible way she had to worry about me being attracted to other women. So she found joy in batting them around. Like a cat playing with a mouse, making it think it's about to be eaten alive, but terrified at an unreasonable level when she lets them go unscathed.

"Thanks for giving my husband some company," Chloe chirped. "Traffic was such a bitch this afternoon."

I wondered if Mrs. Pillsbury caught the slight twitch of Chloe's lips, as if she were holding back a smirk. Or even the dangerous glint in her eyes that resembled a predator's when its gaze is locked onto its prey.

"I-it was nothing, really," Mrs. Pillsbury said, regaining composure. Then, she gave Chloe a sickly sweet smile. "With as much time as you spend working to support your little family, I figured he can get a little lonely. And your daughter is so talented, I felt bad that he's always celebrating over here on his own."

Unfortunately, Mrs. Pillsbury hit one of Chloe's biggest insecurities. She hasn't had many since we were young and had been unexpectedly thrown into the supernatural world. But I've seen her many times have doubts about her job and not always being there for me or Jenni. In reality, Chloe didn't work much at all. I think she was afraid of becoming like her father, and missing out on important points in all our lives. We'd talked about it for years and I thought she might have been finally accepting that she _was_ around enough, as well as supportive of our family. However, hearing those doubts she once had being thrown in her face, I feared that she'd allow those insecurities to resurface.

Chloe's eyes widened just a fraction and her brows dipped in concern.

_Crap._

"Oh, I know!" Chloe exclaimed in a rush, then she beckoned for Mrs. Pillsbury to come closer and she lowered her voice to a whisper, as if in hoping I wouldn't hear what she was about to say. We both knew better. "It's truly a wonder why he's still in my bed every night and not someone else's."

Mrs. Pillsbury yanked herself away from Chloe and, though I couldn't see her expression, I was sure she was glaring, for Chloe was no longer holding back her smirk. She stalked off without so much as a goodbye.

I reached out and tugged Chloe towards me, hand slipping around the back of her neck, instantly finding her lips with mine. I felt several eyes on us, but, frankly, didn't really give a damn.

"I love you," I said once we parted. Chloe rolled her eyes and teasingly shoved at me.

"Don't get all mushy, you big cornball. Anyways, how's she doing?"

"Not too good. I think her marriage has gone to shit, seeing as how she was trying to drag me off to fool around in the locker rooms just before you got here."

"I meant our daughter, Derek."

"Oh, right." I rumbled and she shook her head, amused.

I told her about Jenni coming in first for her relay team, and that she still had yet to run the fifteen-hundred. But she placed third in high jump, second in hurdles, and second in long jump. Chloe beamed, practically oozing the essence of 'proud mother'. When Jenni glanced in our direction from across the field and noticed that Chloe had arrived, her smile mirrored her mother's and she waved.

The final event was the eighth grade division fifteen-hundred. Chloe and I were perfectly expectant of Jenni blowing the race out of the water. She always did. She may not be a werewolf, but Jenni was definitely the daughter of one. Her stamina was outrageous compared to the other eighth graders and she had a knack for running long-distances. Surely it was genetics, but it could have also been the years and years of running through the woods at Stonehaven. Regardless, just because we knew all too well that Jenni was going to win her race, that didn't make us any less proud when she did.

Usually, after she was finished, Jenni would race over to us and we'd take her out to a celebratory dinner before going home. This time, however, she was hailed by her team. Specifically by that kid she gushed about all the time at home, Travis Garner.

"Ow," Chloe muttered dryly, shaking at my hand that was holding hers. It took me a second to peel my gaze away from the little parasite talking to my daughter and realize that I was squeezing her hand rather tightly.

"Sorry," I muttered gruffly, releasing my grip.

"He's just talking to her, Derek. It's harmless."

"Yeah, well, Mrs. Pillsbury was _just talking_ to me too, and it was far from harmless."

"Travis is thirteen. Whereas Mrs. Pillsbury is forty-five and probably knows more sex positions than Cosmopolitan."

I barked a laugh, then tried to relax a little.

"You're probably right."

"Oh, I know I'm right. You should have seen her at the yoga class Tori dragged me to. _Nobody_ bends that way."

"Huh. She should have told me about her interest in yoga. Then I might have sincerely considered her offer."

I laughed as Chloe playfully slugged my arm. By then Jenni had broken away from her teammates and had trotted up to us.

"Oh, baby, you did so well!" Chloe twittered and pulled Jenni into a hug. At thirteen Jenni was already an inch or two taller than Chloe. Jeremy said he wouldn't be surprised if Jenni made six feet.

"Thanks Mom."

She stepped away from Chloe and reached for me next. I pulled her against me and murmured "Good job, baby girl," into her raven hair. "So, which is it tonight? Italian or Thai?"

"Actually," Jenni hesitated, pulling back. "Some kids from the team are going out for pizza. I was wondering if I could go too."

"Of course," Chloe said- at the same moment I said, "Absolutely not."

They both looked at me, Chloe's eyes questioning and Jenni's pleading.

"Pleeeeeease, Daddy," Jenni begged, all wide green eyes and pouty lower lip. Damn this kid. Though, it was my fault for making it so obvious over the years that her kicked puppy face worked on me. Hell, it was the same face I'd used on Simon and Dad- and sometimes Chloe- whenever I had to admit I'd screwed up as a kid. Well, with the exception of the pouty lip.

"The whole team is going?" I asked, raising a skeptical brow.

"No," Jenni steeled her face and answered professionally. And so the game began. "Just a small group from the team."

"Is that Travis kid going?"

"Yes. And his parents are driving. They have a van."

Damn. She knows a chaperone is a point in her favor.

"Travis says his parents can give us a ride home, too." Jenni added.

"By eight?"

"Well, there's a lot of us, so, maybe closer to nine?"

I narrowed my eyes a fraction.

"Eight-thirty at the latest," She amended.

I exhaled slowly, studying her. If I hesitated a few more seconds, I'm sure she would have backed down to eight. But Chloe nudged me roughly in the ribs, so I sighed in defeat.

"Fine. Just pizza. On the property no later than eight-thirty. If you don't walk through the front door by eight-thirty-five, I'll-"

"Hunt Travis down and eat him?" Chloe suggested. I gave her a look. Though, the idea didn't seem like a bad one. I didn't really have a taste for humans, and man-eating wasn't exactly smiled upon by the Pack, but…

"I'll hunt _you_ down," I said, once again addressing Jenni, "And get you myself."

"Which would be worse than you eating Travis." She shuddered. "Through the door at eight-thirty-five. Got it."

Finally, I nodded my consent and she beamed.

"Thanks Dad!" She quickly hugged me, then Chloe, then sprinted back to the field towards her team. Upon her approach Travis gave her a charming smile- as if he had pulled it from Simon's "How to Make a Girl Swoon" handbook- and slung his arm over her shoulders.

"You know, it's not very polite to growl in public, Derek- Hey, where do you think you're going?" Chloe questioned.

"To warn _Travis_ that there's a pack of werewolves that wouldn't hesitate to rip him apart if he tries anything." I bit out as I continued to stalk in their direction.

"Oh, no you don't!"

Chloe lunged and grabbed my arm before tugging against me with all her might.

"Just let her have a little bit of fun. Besides, his _Grammy_ has already promised me that she'll haunt his dreams if he, to put it in her own words, _'behaves like a Neanderthal'_."

That made me stop. I tossed her a quizzical look and she smiled sweetly before gesturing towards the empty space beside her.

"Derek, meet Travis's Grammy. Mrs. Garner, my werewolf husband, Derek."

Chloe informed me after a small pause that the spirit was pleased to meet me. After a moment I said, "Do you think Jenni saw her?"

"No, I don't think so. I think she has a couple more years."

Jenni was a necromancer, too. Or would be, eventually. She had shown early signs, though, like Chloe had, as confirmed by Lauren and Chloe's hazy memories of ghosts in her basement when she was really small. We've been educating her on the possibility, and she's even been going through personal lessons and exercises with Jaime, but we were still waiting for the inevitable confirmation.

Another moment passed and then Chloe said, "There. Mrs. Garner promised to keep an eye on them. Technically, it's not spying-"

"It's spying."

"Fine. But she said she'd only report to me if anything was wrong. Feel better?"

"Not really."

Chloe huffed, exacerbated, then suddenly laughed.

"What?" I asked, brow slightly raised.

"I bet I know what _will_ help you feel better."

"What?" I asked again, brow inching higher.

"Let's go find those locker rooms."

**Hehehe, I hope you all enjoyed this piece. By my calculations of all the One-Shots written for my DPC series, this puts Derek and Chloe at about 39/38 years old. Soon I'm going to add a chronological order and timeline of all the One-Shots on my profile so I can keep everything in order better, so look forward to that.**

**Anyways, once again, happy birthday Sweets! I adore you, and I hope you like your presents. :D**


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